First Electric Driving School Car in UK is a Nissan LEAF

Nissan LEAF electric vehicle [EV], we know, it a great little car. It’s a decent size for a family of four, but is also fuel efficient enough to use as a commuter.

With a 73-mile EPA-estimated range, or 83 miles as tested by Edmunds.com, the Nissan LEAF is finding its way into people’s garages, the first EV taxi fleet in the US, and even an EV car-sharing club in the UK. Now, the Nissan LEAF is going to help people learn how to drive in the UK.

Paul Tomlin, a driving instructor for the past fourteen years, changes vehicles every couple of years or so, accumulating about 25,000 miles per year. Needless to say, driving-school vehicles take a lot of beating. For Tomlin’s next vehicle, he was looking for something more environmentally friendly, and the Nissan LEAF fit the bill nicely. The range is enough to give a few lessons in the morning, and after charging at a 50A public charging station during his lunch break, a couple more lessons in the afternoon.

Tomlin said, “Since I took delivery of the Nissan LEAF there has been lots of interest from my fellow instructors and it’s easy to see why. The pupils love the car and the immediate success they have had underlines what an easy car the LEAF is to drive. For me personally I’m happy to now avoid the petrol stations and I feel happier for the environment by driving a zero emissions vehicle.”

Not only is the Nissan LEAF easier to drive, making it an ideal candidate for driving school, it also saves about $4,400 per year in refueling costs, which makes perfect business sense for Tomlin. This may be the very first dual-controls Nissan LEAF in driving school, but it has generated a lot of interest on the part of other driving school instructors, as well as those learning how to drive. We expect to see many more driving-school EVs in the future.